


Another Dinner (Oneshot)

by bethanyisinjail



Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, post jaehee route but she is still at C&R, zen also calls you babe platonically, zen and mc are really close just go with it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-13
Updated: 2020-06-13
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:46:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,902
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24701035
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bethanyisinjail/pseuds/bethanyisinjail
Summary: Recently, Jaehee has been buried in work. She's never free, and you can't stand it. You know it's not her fault. You know she doesn't mean it. But you pray that one day it changes, and you get your girlfriend back. Because at some point, somethings gotta give."You put the water down, crossing your arms, “There’s nothing wrong, Zen.”“I’m not dropping this topic,” He pushes, “I want to be there to help you!”You look down into your lap, fidgeting with the sleeve of your shirt. He lets the silence hang there for a moment, giving you some time to process it all before pushing further.“Is it about Jaehee?” He asks softly."
Relationships: Kang Jaehee (Mystic Messenger)/Reader, Kang Jaehee/Main Character (Mystic Messenger), Zen | Ryu Hyun & Main Character
Comments: 3
Kudos: 82





	Another Dinner (Oneshot)

**Author's Note:**

> hihi! i have always looked for a fic of jaehee and MC where jaehee doesn't leave C&R (bc i find that relationship dynamic cool), so i decided to write it myself! this one is a lil longer than i predicted, but i kinda needed it to build up to the end lol. 
> 
> but just as a note, it's mentioned in here towards the end but zen and MC are just super close friends! he calls her 'babe' but it's completely platonic and she is 100% ok with it. i KNOW even as a friend zen would be flirty (as long as they were ok with it of course). 
> 
> hope you enjoy!!

You wake up to find an empty bed once again. You can never seem to catch her before she leaves the house for work, although you wake up much before her hours start. Rolling over, you grab your phone and see what you missed last night. A couple of chatrooms, some messages from the other RFA members.

A text from Jaehee.

It reads ‘Sorry, had to go in early for work today. We’re still on for tonight though. <3 Love you, cupcake.’

You sigh, holding the phone to your chest. She does this every day. You likely have 15 messages from the past month of her telling you she had to go in early. Or that she had to stay late. Or that she had to cancel plans. Her life revolved around her work, not you. You felt like a secondary character to her. Like background noise, something else to spend time with when she gets home, something-

Your ruthless mental bashing is interrupted by a phone call. You lift the phone to see ‘ZEN’ displayed on the screen. 

You pick it up, “Hello?”

“Good morning MC!” Zen greets, a slight hint of remorse in his voice, “How are you this fine morning?” 

You sit up, “I’m alright, thank you Zen. How are you? Why did you call me at,” You pause to look at the clock beside you, “8 AM?” 

The music you previously heard on the other end lowers, either because he’s walking away or turned it down. Which? You have no clue.

He pauses a moment before speaking again, “I just wanted to say good morning and chat a little, is that so bad? And I’m doing well! I went on a run this morning and got some breakfast.”

You get out of bed and head to the kitchen as he talks. “That sounds like a nice morning, but I am not buying that as the only reason you called,” You deflect, grabbing a teabag out of the cabinet, “You never call me this early in the morning.”

“But I decided that I wanted to this morning!” He counters, laughing.

You roll your eyes, knowing there’s another reason he called. “Just tell me, Zen,” You deadpan, sounding a little more annoyed than you intended.

“Oh,” His voice falls quiet, the once joyful tone disappearing, “Well, I knew that Jaehee-”

“Wasn’t here this morning?” You cut him off, “Yeah, that’s pretty normal.”

“Normal?” He hesitates, “This is normal?”

“Mhm,” You unenthusiastically affirm, putting a full kettle on the stove.

You vaguely hear him cursing out who was likely Jumin before he clears his throat, “Well, I was wondering-” His voice tapers off mid-sentence.

“Zen?” You call, “Zen? Zen come back.”

The line remains silent for a moment before his voice returns, “I’m sorry babe, got a text from the director. I was nervous I would have to work on my day off.”

“Wouldn’t want to stress that wonderful face of yours too much,” You jest.

“Of course!” He boasts, laughing in response.

You share a small laugh back, “But really, what were you wondering before?”

“Oh yeah,” The laughing dies down, “I was wondering if you wanted to come over today? Just to hang, Seven and Yoosung are probably coming too.”

The kettle sounds beside you, and you take it off the stove and pour it into the mug. “I have nothing better to do,” You shrug, “What time?”

“Probably around 2ish? You’re free to come over earlier but I know at least Seven isn’t free till 2.”

You carry your mug to the coffee table in the living room and take a seat on the sofa as he talks. 

“I didn’t get from Yoosung when he could come, I actually don’t even know if he can come. But I don’t want you to come too early because I don’t-”

“Want to be in the house alone with me?” You finish for him, “I’m a lesbian, Zen.”

“I- I- I never said that!” He sputters, clearly flustered.

You stifle a laugh, taking a moment to regain your composure and avoid falling into hysterics. Flustering him will never not be funny.

His voice softens slightly, a lined with guilt, “You know it’s not like that, right?”

“I know Zen,” You assure him, “But I have a few things I need to finish up before I head over, so I’ll text you when I’m done?” 

“Yeah, sounds like a plan!” He replies excitedly, “I’ll talk to you later then, MC!”

“Alright, see ya, Zen!”

~~~

You park outside Zen’s house, seeing no other cars outside.

_Seven must not be here yet._

Barely after you are able to turn the car off, Zen is already outside, walking toward the driver’s side.

He opens the door for you, offering a hand, “It’s good to see you, MC!”

You take his hand, standing and pulling him into a hug, “Hello, Zen.” 

He steps back and puts an arm around your shoulder, guiding you inside. 

You take a seat on the couch as he goes into the kitchen, fetching both of you a glass of water before taking a seat next to you. 

“So, not to jump the gun or anything,” He leans back with the water in his hand, “What’s going on with Jaehee?”

“Zen,” You plead.

He shakes his head, “Nope. Don’t ‘Zen’ me. As much as Jaehee is an RFA member, the second she hurts you-”

“No no no,” You cut him off, “Don’t.”

He raises an eyebrow to you, “That’s it? Just don’t?”

“Mhm,” You affirm, taking a sip of water. 

He leans back forward, cocking his head at you. “There’s something wrong, I know there is.”

“What?” You question, knowing full well he’s right. 

“Where’s the smile, babe? You’re one of the most smiley people I’ve ever met! And I’ve met my fair share of people,” He points out.

You put the water down, crossing your arms, “There’s nothing wrong, Zen.”

“I’m not dropping this topic,” He pushes, “I want to be there to help you!”

You look down into your lap, fidgeting with the sleeve of your shirt. He lets the silence hang there for a moment, giving you some time to process it all before pushing further.

“Is it about Jaehee?” He asks softly. 

You don’t look up, but nod in response. 

“Is it about just this morning?” He continues using simple yes and no questions.

You shake your head.

“Issss,” He pauses for a moment, “Is it-” His sentence is cut off by your phone dinging in your pocket. You uncross your arms and grab it out of your back pocket, seeing a text from Jaehee that makes your heart drop.

‘I’m gonna be at the office late tonight, I can’t make it to dinner. I’m so sorry, I promise I’ll make it up to you soon <3’

“She canceled,” You unconsciously slur, feeling tears well up in your eyes at the realization. Another dinner missed. Every week you plan something. A date night. A nice lunch. A movie night. And they never pan out. You had so much faith in tonight. You were so excited to spend an ounce of quality time with your girlfriend for the first time in weeks. You-

Your train of thought was interrupted by arms being wrapped around you. “It’s alright, babe,” Zen whispers, continuing to repeat comforting words in your ear. You wrap your arms around him and hug back, crying into his shoulder for what had to have been the better of 5 minutes.

Your moment is interrupted by a knock at the door. Seven. Although you weren’t too keen on him seeing you like this, you didn’t have much of a choice. Zen pulls away from your hug and rubs your shoulder before heading to the door. He opens it and Seven walks in, looking to see you a mess on Zen’s couch. You wipe away a couple of tears and give him a halfhearted smile and wave.

He smiles back at you, “Going through it?”

You can’t help but laugh, although Zen groans at his comment. 

“Little bit,” You comment as Zen reclaims his place on the couch next to you. Seven takes a seat on the floor next to him.

“Is it a secret? Or can God Seven come to the rescue!” He exclaims, pumping a fist in the air.

Zen rolls his eyes, “You’re quite the character, Seven,” He focuses his attention on you, “Even though Seven struggles to read a room, can you tell me what’s up now?”

You brush another tear away, “I don’t know, it’s so stupid. Jaehee has been super busy with work for the past month or so, and everything we’ve planned has fallen through. I barely see her anymore, and when I do it feels like I’m third-wheeling with her and her work. She promised me she would make it to dinner tonight, yet here we are, no dinner.” 

Zen reaches out and grabs your hand, “Well, if Jaehee won’t take the lovely lady to dinner, then I will!” He declares. 

You give him a confused look, “You are taking me to dinner?”

“Absolutely,” He replies, “You don’t deserve to be alone tonight!”

You smile, “Thank you, Zen.” He smiles back and leans in for another hug, eliciting an exaggerated ‘aww’ from Seven on the floor.

“Non-lovebird lovebirds!” He squeals shaking his hands like a child. 

You laugh and roll your eyes, “Oh shut up.” 

“Can I ask a really important question now?” He asks, but he doesn’t wait for either of you to respond, “If fish could walk, how many legs would they have?”

~~~

You see your phone screen light up on the counter next to you. A message from Zen.

It reads, ‘I’m out front, what apartment number are you?’

You type back your apartment number, assuring him the door will be unlocked when he gets up here. 

You brush off the dress you’re wearing and grab your purse off the counter. You decided on a darker color scheme, seeing as you’re still going to the nice restaurant you had planned to go to with Jaehee. You wore one of your favorite dresses, a dark blue dress with sheer sleeves that had only the slightest bit of holographic sparkle to them. It was a decent length too, ending just under your knees. You knew if the dress was too short Zen would have commented on it, though you could have just brushed it off you were really appreciative he was taking you to dinner tonight. 

You hear the door open, turning around to see Zen in the doorway, dressed in a dark blue suit, almost matching the color of your dress.

You laugh, “Hey, we match!”

“Normally I would be calling myself beautiful but you look wonderful tonight!” He compliments.

“Thank you, Zen,” You grab your phone and put it in the purse you’re holding, “Shall we go?”

“Go we shall!” He holds out his hand, which you take as he leads you down to his car.

~~~

The car pulls into the parking spot outside your apartment building. Zen turns the car off before turning to you.

“Tonight was fun, I’d say!” He smiles.

“Yeah, especially when that waiter kept subtly trying to suggest more ‘date-like’ things to do,” You comment, “But tonight was fun, thank you, Zen. Got my mind off things for a couple of hours.”

“That waiter was a piece of work,” He laughs, lightly shoving your shoulder, “And that’s what friends are for! To take you on fake ‘friend dates’ and tell off nosey waiters.”

You laugh and roll your eyes, going to open the car door.

“No no no,” He stops you, getting out of the car and walking to your side, opening the door for you. He offers a hand, “I always get the door, babe, you know that!”

You grab his hand and exit the car, hearing the door shut behind you. “You know, maybe that waiter wasn’t that crazy. Most guys don’t use the term ‘babe’ platonically,” You playfully poke back.

He laughs, opening the front door to the building and gesturing for you to go inside. “Hey, you said it was alright. Not my fault you don’t use it with me!”

You roll your eyes and link arms with him as he guides you into the elevator, pushing the button for your floor. You share sly cheesy smiles with one another, not having to say anything at this point. The doors open and he guides you to your apartment, stopping outside the door.

He grabs both your hands, “Remember what I said at dinner, put your foot down with her. Don’t let her walk all over you!” 

You smile back, “I’ll be alright Zen, don’t worry!” He pulls you into a hug. 

“But worrying is my thing!” He protests softly. 

You chuckle, pulling back from him. “And you’re amazing at it,” You deadpan, a joking tone to your voice, “Now you should be getting home, it’s late.”

He gives you one last quick hug before patting your shoulder, “Let me know how things go tonight, ok?”

“Yes, my lovely Zen, king of worry,” You jest, “I’ll see you soon!”

“Bye, MC!” He calls before walking off into the elevator, both of you sharing a wave before the doors shut. 

You turn back to your own front door and place a hand on the handle, not wanting to go inside. You hate confrontation. You hate, hate, hate confrontation.

You finally muster up the courage to go inside, shutting the door behind you as you enter. On the couch is Jaehee, dressed in a striped turtleneck sweater and leggings, as she normally is this late at night. She’s holding a mug in her hands, although it doesn’t seem to be filled with coffee. Her glasses are on top of a pile of papers on the coffee table, one paper put off to the side. 

She looks over at you, giving you a small smile. “Hello, MC,” She greets.

_She’s adorable, damn._

You fight the urge to smile, instead look away in favor of taking your shoes off. You choose to say nothing. 

You hear her put the mug down and look up to see her walking over to you, a paper in hand. Her expression looks guilt-ridden.

“I’m so sorry I had to cancel today, MC. I’m happy you were able to still go out with Zen,” She holds out the paper, “I needed to finish this up.”

You cock your head, hesitantly grabbing the paper from her hands. A million thoughts run through your head, some more favorable than others. Slowly opening the letter, you see its header.

‘Jaehee Kang, Chief Assistant - Resignation’

You stare in shock, looking back up to see her eyes glued to the ground.

“Two weeks,” She nods, whispering, “I did it for you.” You see tears begin to form in her still guilt-stricken expression.

You drop the paper on the ground, wrapping your arms around your girlfriend. She reciprocates, and you can hear her softly crying on your shoulder and she nuzzles her face into the crook of your neck.

“I know I made you hurt,” She whispers so softly you can barely hear it, “I never meant to.”

You stay there for a moment before pulling back, placing a kiss on her forehead, and cupping her face in one hand as your other finds hers. She leans into the touch as you wipe away tears with your thumb.

“I know, I know,” You repeat softly, “I hope you did this for you, too.”

She smiles and places her hand over yours, “Of course.”

You lean in, pressing a soft kiss on her lips. Her tension fades, albeit slightly, and you lean back to see the same, adorable smile you’ve missed for so long. 

You can’t help but steal another quick kiss, before backing up. “I’m gonna change into something a little more comfortable than this dress,” She giggles, looking down at the dress I’m still wearing.

“You look beautiful, buttercup,” She gushes.

You blush. “You always have the best lil’ names, sweetheart,” You scrunch your nose at her, seeing her smile before you head upstairs.

After changing into your pajamas, you walk out of your room, leaning over the railing to your half-asleep girlfriend snuggled in a blanket on the couch. You can hear one of Zen’s musicals on TV.

“Jaehee,” You coo, “Bedtime!”

She looks up at you before smiling, turning off the TV, and draping the blanket over her shoulders. She comes up the stairs, wrapping you in her blanket as you both move into your room. She walks off from you, tucking herself under the covers, still under the blanket she brought up. You plug in your phone on the nightstand, turning off the light before getting into bed next to her. She reaches out for you, and you scoot closer so you can wrap your arms around one another. 

“I missed you today,” She whispers lethargically, burying her face in your neck. You lazily run a hand through her hair, with the other at her waist while her’s are around your torso. 

“Me too,” You answer quietly, “You’re going to be here when I wake up, right?”

“Mhm,” She slurs, sleepily sinking closer, “I’ll be right here.” 

“Always?” Jaehee leans back, then placing her forehead against yours, eyes still closed. 

“Always.”


End file.
